Frequently it is necessary to remove asphalt for road work purposes or to allow the digging of a trench for the installation or repair of utility lines such as water, sewer, telephone, and electrical. Procedures and apparatus for performing this task have been long known in the prior art.
However, in an attempt to improve upon the existing art, various disclosures of which U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,358 (Guest) is representative, have revealed portable asphalt cutters for attachment to motorized vehicles. The asphalt cutters include a cutting disc or wheel, a support structure, and a clamping mechanism for attaching the asphalt cutter to the motorized vehicle. This art uses existing equipment and allows the asphalt cutter to be attached at the work site when needed.
A major problem with the attaching of an asphalt cutter to a backhoe bucket or the like has been the tendency of the clamping mechanism to loosen upon being subjected to the vibratory and jarring forces frequently encountered while cutting asphalt. Consequently, operators must periodically stop their work and retighten or reposition the asphalt cutter. Such interruption results in significant amounts of delay and loss of productivity.
Single screw attaching devices, representative of the prior art, illustrate this problem. A single screw is used to overcome the loosening forces of jarring and vibration. After a period of use, the screw is loosened and the earth working tool or asphalt cutter is no longer held firmly in place. The present invention overcomes this problem by use of a novel clamping mechanism.